Skip Bayless asserts LeBron James is to be blamed for LA Lakers' slow start
Over the years, Skip Bayless has always been extremely critical of LeBron James. Even in his 20th season, he holds the LA Lakers star to extremely high standards.
After failing to make the playoffs last year, it has been a rough start to the year for the league's most historic franchise. They currently sit with the second-worst record in the Western Conference at 2-7. Only the Houston Rockets (1-9) are below them.
There are many reasons why the Lakers have struggled out the gates, but Skip Bayless is putting the brunt of the blame on LeBron. He recently went on FS1's "Undisputed" to state why the future Hall of Famer should be held more accountable for his team's rough patch.
"Because LeBron is by far the best player on the team, it still falls back on his shoulders."
"In the end, it's up to LeBron to carry a load he can no longer carry, for whatever reason."
LeBron has played in all nine of the Lakers' games this year and is currently averaging 24.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 7.1 assists.
The Lakers fall to 2-7 after back-to-back losses to the Jazz and Cavs:
"Because LeBron is the best player on the team, it still falls back on his shoulders. Maybe he’s watching what’s transpiring around him and he’s starting to go Aaron Rodgers." — @RealSkipBayless https://t.co/rbCrc4AOxh
Is Skip Bayless right to put all of the blame on LeBron James for the Lakers' struggles?
Skip Bayless might feel a certain way about this, but it's hard to put all of the blame on LeBron James. Even though he is going to go down as an all-time great, he is still only one man.
When the LA Lakers traded for Anthony Davis years ago, the goal was for him to take the reigns from LeBron at some point. Fast forward to now, and that still has yet to happen. While AD puts up star-level numbers, his tenure in LA has been riddled with injuries.
Another reason why Skip Bayless is asking too much of LeBron is the Lakers as a whole. Heading into this season, everyone agreed their supporting cast was lackluster. On top of that, none of the role players complement LeBron. Their struggles from beyond the arc have them flirting with history for the wrong reason.
LeBron should be held to a higher standard because of the caliber of player he is, but he is far from an issue for the Lakers. The production he is putting out in his late-30s is something the league has never seen before. Ultamitaley, the blame should be put on the front office for doing little to maximize the closing window they have with their star player.